By: Jada Bishop

Just the phrase alone, “setting goals” can be intimidating. Sometimes the things that we want can seem impossible when we focus on our current circumstances. When we look only at the ultimate end that we want to achieve, our dreams can seem unattainable. When setting goals, it’s helpful to relate progress to a baby’s journey from crawling to walking. A baby doesn’t just go from sitting day after day to walking at top speed. No, there are stages. First they will crawl, then pull up on a sturdy object to stand, and then they may take a step or two. Even when a baby falls down, they never give up until they’re walking steadily with a proud smile.
 
            For instance, a person that goes from being relatively sedentary to desiring to walk a mile, may end up feeling discouraged if they automatically try to do so and fail. However, it would be wiser if they start with little goals, like starting with one lap, and gradually increasing distance over time. Likewise, an adult that wants to return to college may fair better by taking one or two classes to start with, and then they can gradually increase their workload over time.
 
 When setting goals, it’s also wise to prepare both circumstantially and emotionally for unexpected hinderances or setbacks. There may be physical, economic, or other unexpected challenges to completing these stepping stones to our ultimate goal. When these interruptions occur, it’s best to take a moment to feel the disappointment, but not to wallow it. Making time to reset and adjust our plans can help us stay focused on the big picture of the main goal that we’ve strived to reach.
 
Yes, when we break our long-term goals into smaller goals, like a child, our self-confidence will grow with every step that we take, and reaching our goals will seem more possible. By following this process, we may even find ourselves enjoying the journey to our goals more along the way.

By: Bayou Trésors Staff

​You have a great idea for a business, you’re an excellent leader, and you’ve created a business plan.

So, what do you do next?

You may want to set up shop as a Limited liability company or LLC.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines an LLC as, “a business structure allowed by state statute.”

Other business structures include sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations, and S corporations.

When it comes to LLCs, every state has its own rules related to their oversight and functioning.
The owners of LLCs are called “members” and these owners or members don’t typically need to be one specific person. The IRS says, “members may include individuals, corporations, other LLCs and foreign entities. There is no maximum number of members. Most states also permit “single-member” LLCs, those having only one owner.”

It adds that, “A few types of businesses generally cannot be LLCs, such as banks and insurance companies.”

One of the major advantages of choosing an LLC structure for your business is that because it’s a separate entity, the owners of the company have limited liability. This means their personal assets of are generally safe from any lawsuits or debts made against the LLC. Essentially, the member’s risk of financial loss is limited to the amount of funds the member actually invests in the business.

​So, if you’re in Louisiana and you’re not interested in opening a bank or insurance company, you might want to check out this overview detailing how an LLC is established:
 
Step One
Choose a unique name for your company.
As you select a name, keep these requirements in mind:

• The name you select must be unique, meaning no other business in the state can have it. To ensure that the name is not a duplicate, click here and perform a search via the Secretary of State’s website.
• Your business name must include the words Limited Liability Company, LLC, or L.L.C.
• The name you select cannot contain words used to name a government agency (i.e., State Department, CIA, FBI, Treasury, etc.)
• Certain restricted words (bank, lawyer, attorney, credit union, etc.) may require additional documentation and licensure paperwork.

 
Step Two
Appoint a registered agent for your LLC.
The registered agent can be you, an employee, or a person/entity that offers a registered agent service and is authorized to receive service of process and other official legal documents and notices on behalf of your LLC.
They must:

• Entities (or companies) must provide registered agent services.
• The agent must have an address in Louisiana.
• The agent must be on-site and available to accept documents during regular business hours.

 
Step Three
Get a nine-digit Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.
An EIN is necessary because it’s what the U.S. government uses to identify a business entity.
You can click here to apply for an EIN on the IRS’s website.
 
Step Four
File the Louisiana LLC Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State.
The Articles of Organization clarifies basic information about your LLC and officially establishes it as an entity.
Prepare the Articles of Organization by clicking here and then filing them with the Secretary of the State online or by mail.
 
Step Five
(optional) Create a Louisiana LLC Operating Agreement.
An official operating agreement’s purpose is to outline the company’s ownership and operating procedures to ensure that all business owners are on the same page. It’s not required in Louisiana but it may be a good idea to have. Without an operating agreement, should a dispute arise that needs to be settled in court, a judge will base their rulings on state law, instead of on what’s best interest for the LLC and its members.
 
Step Six
Keep your certificate from the state in a safe place.
The state will send you a certificate confirming the LLC’s existence and validity. It can help you in obtaining business licenses, and business bank account, so keep it in a safe place.
 
Step Seven
Register with the Louisiana Department of Revenue.
Register with the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) to collect sales tax and if your company will have employees, you’ll also register with the LDR for employer withholding taxes. You can do both online via the Business Registration page of the LDR website.
 
Step Eight
Register with geauxBIZ and create a business license checklist.
Register with the Secretary of State’s geauxBIZ website and create a business license checklist. This will provide you with information about local licenses and permits you may need for your city and parish.
 
Step Nine
Register your business with your parish, pay for an occupational license, and begin paying sales taxes.
Visit Parish E-File to register your business online with your city/Parish and get set up to pay for an occupational license and to begin paying sales taxes. You can choose to pay sales taxes on a monthly basis.
 
Hopefully, the steps above will come in handy as you set up your new company. ​

You mildly voice a concern at work to your supervisor who responds by writing you up for being “aggressive” and demanding that a third party be present during any future encounters between the two of you.

You notice that coworkers of a certain ethnic identity or gender are paid less than others and often verbally abused by your supervisor.

Sadly, these situations are not uncommon.

The Harvard Business Review conducted a study that aimed to test the popularity of the “angry Black woman” stereotype. Out of the 300 subjects who were tested, the study found that “participants were more likely to attribute the anger of Black female employees to internal characteristics, or her personality. This had negative consequences because internal attributions translated into lower performance ratings and leadership evaluations.”

According to American Progress, “Black workers, for example, typically get paid a great deal less than white workers. The typical median weekly earnings for Black full-time employees was $727 from July 2019 to September 2019, compared with $943 for whites.”

So, racism and prejudice are frequent occurrences in many workplaces. But a number of survivors choose to keep their heads down and ignore it as best they can.

Suppose you don’t want to ignore it? Then, what do you do?

One option is to report the behavior to Human Resources.

If you do, it’s important that you have proof of their inappropriate conduct. So, if comments have been made via email or in other documents, save those emails or documents and bring them to HR. One thing to remember is to avoid recording conversations without the other person’s consent. This might not be usable as evidence or proof as it may be a violation of privacy.

Experts also recommend documenting each incident of racism, including the date, time, and location of each situation.

All of the evidence you’re able to compile can be helpful in backing up a complaint that you bring to HR. A solid body of proof may motivate them to take action and solve the problem.

Rebecca Stevens has encountered racism at work on multiple occasions. She wrote an article for Medium on the subject and offered alternative suggestions on how to manage a racist supervisor.

Stevens’ five tips are below.

1. Make sure that your tasks and objectives are crystal clear. There is nothing that a racist boss likes more than to accuse you of poor performance. Be sure to deliver on your projects and ensure you have a list of allies within the team that can speak to your achievements. Most corporate performance management platforms contain a multi-rater option which allows you to get reviews from fellow colleagues regarding your work. Use this to get as much positive feedback as possible about your performance.
2. If your boss makes racist comments or inappropriate jokes, be sure to call them out on it. If there are witnesses, make sure you tell them how uncomfortable these comments and jokes make you feel. Make sure you send a written message to your boss explaining that the inappropriate comment or joke made you feel uncomfortable. You can even report the comment or joke to your HR department so that there is a record of the behavior there.
3. As soon as you realize that your boss is a racist, start looking for new opportunities elsewhere because no matter what you do, they will not champion you. You will always be fighting a losing battle with a racist boss, so the quicker you move away from them, the better. Try not to get into conflict with them because they will put all their energy into ruining your reputation and if they are white in a white-dominated environment, and you are black, chances are, people will believe them over you.
4. It is important to always try and control the narrative about you when you work for a racist boss. This isn’t always easy. Make sure you get several nonracist or antiracist mentors to provide feedback and guidance to you as you build your career. Identify a good mentor or mentor and stick with them, build a mutually beneficial relationship with them. Get to the point where your mentor can become your ally and can stand up for you or correct a wrong narrative about you. An ally mentor can protect you from a racist boss.
5. You might have landed up with a racist boss, but you need to protect other black and brown people from ending up in a similar situation. If another black or brown person asks you about how it is to work with your boss, be truthful about the experience. Provide fact-based reasons as to why you would not recommend that person come work for your boss regardless of how good the opportunity might seem like on the outside.

​In any case, being treated unfairly at work is disheartening. It may be helpful to speak with a counselor or even a career coach who has tips on how to improve your self-esteem and embrace your sense of identity as you heal. ​

​​By: Bayou Trésors Staff

You have a business that is small but slowly expanding. You also have a full-time job that helps to pay the bills. On top of this are family responsibilities.

Life is a lot, and you’re tired.

Quite frequently, friends approach you with wide eyes and say, “I don’t know how you do it all!”

You smile and change the subject. But their comments linger. And they make you think to yourself, “I have no personal time and I’m ignoring the fact that I’m burned out. That’s how I do it.”

Quitting your job would mean losing the ability to pay your rent, mortgage, and other monthly bills. Giving up your business would mean giving up the plan you’ve built to help you escape from the full-time job that doesn’t bring you joy or pay enough to truly support your long-term goals.

So, it seems you have only one option. You’ve got to keep pushing through the burnout.

But is this your only option?

Many experts say it isn’t.

“Ten years ago, a mentor told me to hire a personal assistant. I was dubious. Today, I can't imagine myself getting the job done without one,” Lou Carlozo said in Money Under 30.  

A personal assistant may be the answer to your problems.

But how do you know for sure?

​Listed below are four signs that it may be time to hire a personal assistant.

1/Routine Tasks Have Become Time Vacuums
You’re spending hours knocking out routine tasks instead of big-picture activities that will boost your company’s long-term goals. Routine tasks can include but are not limited to: managing your daily calendar, screening and answering phone calls and emails, attending meetings of minimal importance, meeting with other colleagues or clients to discuss minor concerns, grocery shopping, picking up the dry cleaning, cooking for the family, and running other errands. 

2/Key Duties Go Undone
You notice that by the end of your 16-hour day, the major items on your daily checklist have not been completed. Essentially, the most important tasks are falling through the cracks because you’re too busy focusing on minor tasks. You simply can’t keep up with everything.

3/You Spend All Day Working
Sometimes we take on the mindset of a martyr and feel proud as we say, “I spent 16 hours working today. Wow!” That, my friend, is unhealthy. It’s a sure ticket to poor mental and physical health. Everyone needs “me-time.” So, if you don’t have any time to enjoy a relaxing activity or fun with family and friends during your week, this is a major problem.  

4/You Can Hire One Employee
If your company is bringing in enough to allow you to hire one person, it might be time to explore that option.
                                                                                  *****
If the four signs above apply to your situation, there’s another step you can take to see what sort of assignments you might give a personal assistant.
Write a list of every task you carry out on a daily basis. This includes things like gassing up the car, cleaning the pool, cooking dinner, and answering the seventeen text messages that your neediest client sends you every day.

Now, once you’ve examined that list, grab a highlighter, and mark the tasks that only YOU can accomplish.
For example, only you can knock out the one-hour weekly coaching session that each of your clients have been promised. So, that task would be highlighted.

​Once you’ve marked all of the things to be done that require your personal touch, look at the duties that are left over. Imagine if you didn’t have to do any of them because you delegated them to a personal assistant.

A trusted personal assistant can free up your time, so that you’re working a 10-hour day instead of 16. You’ll be free to focus on major tasks that will grow your business, while they knock out daily duties.

As your business grows and brings in more money, you’ll be able to hire more key employees, and eventually you’ll no longer need your full-time job.

This may whittle your workday down to seven or eight hours, instead of ten. Who knows? Maybe even less.
So, think about your situation and ask yourself if hiring an assistant will help your business to grow and allow you to improve your well-being.